To Finally Be Complete
by kazikamikaze24
Summary: When Drum left Gao everyone expected him to be fine and bounce back. What they did not expect was for Gao to be a changed person without his Buddy. Gao is not the only person searching for something though. As Gao searches for a Buddy, events will test him to see if he can most past what is holding him back from obtaining not just greatness, but to be whole once more.


Forgotten. He was a concept that once held meaning. Now he was a lost fragment of a greater picture. A being who was the most powerful of his world, only for it to be _stolen_ away in jealousy. His glory and right to lead his comrades should not have been taken away from him, yet it had. He planned repeatedly for the day he would be free from his prison. Free from the blazing fires that kept him from returning into his true form.

At least, until something occurred that allowed him to leave his prison.

A power so familiar it angered him. Power that reminded him of a certain being that he wanted nothing more than to destroy that individual over and over until only the helmet remained. All he knew was that he was now free from his prison. Free he was, but not without consequence. He was now in a unfamiliar world that he knew nothing about. The world was so different that he did not know what to think of it. Though he did note one thing that was familiar, in this world that was practically a desert to him.

The essence of **him** lingered in the air. If he could trace this essence, then perhaps he could find the one he despised and finally get his revenge.

* * *

No matter how much he tried to move past what plagued him, he could not escape the truth. He threw himself into training until bruises and aching bones welcomed him. The books that he towered around himself like a wall to separate himself from the outside world as he caught up on his studies did nothing to hide him from the truth. Opening up booster packs and booster boxes gave him piles of cards, but nothing that he sought after.

He, Gao Mikado, wanted a Buddy.

No, he wanted Fang Slade Terrestrial XIV to be his Buddy again. He had plenty of copies of Drum Bunker Dragon and its variations. The fact that the Buddy Police allowed him to keep his Core Deck Case, despite no longer having a buddy, was both a blessing and a curse to him. A blessing since he could one day get a new Buddy and keep the current Core Deck Case as tribute to his Drum and the memories they share through Buddyfight. Yet it served as a curse. He felt a tremendous amount of weight that made him unable to move whenever he thought of playing Buddyfight again. Why play the game when he did not have Drum by his side? He knew that he could reapply for the Buddy Police and be given a Buddy monster. It would not be the same, but at least it could fill the void within him right?

"Gao." A voice called out to him before three light knocks echoed into his room. It took him a moment to break away from the stack of Buddyfight cards and textbooks he surrounded himself with and looked at his bedroom door. It was closed, keeping out distractions so he could focus on anything else. It was at that moment he realized that his room was a mess, though having the light off hid some of it, and if anyone saw his room they would be shocked. "Are you still here?"

Especially his mom, who would make him clean it up before giving him strict training as punishment for allowing such a mess to build in the first place.

"Yeah mom." Gao faked a yawn as he stood up from his bed. The outfit that defined him as the Mighty Sun Fighter was waiting for him to wear. To do the title that his brother created proud. He looked away from the outfit and performed a few stretches to make himself more alert. "I'm studying in here."

"Oh, well alright." A small pause gave Gao time to finish up his stretches. He wondered if his mom would want to come in to talk to him better. "Well I'm going to take grandma to her doctor appointment. Hanako is hanging out with some friends, so I left you some money on the table. Go to a movie, buy a pizza, or do anything you want dear."

"Thanks mom." A small sigh caught his attention as he finished getting dressed. Did he do something wrong?

"No problem Gao. I love you."

"I love you too mom." As Gao heard his mom walk away he looked at the one thing that he did not place on his being. The one object that helped define who he was, and looked away seconds later. His Core Deck Case, empty of the Dragon World deck that was once there. It did not look away though. The gem on it stared at him with a familiar pressure that was too much for him to bare. Yet he could not leave the room until his mom left the house. As soon as she left he would grab the money and leave the house, thereby leaving Core Deck Case behind as well.

 _'He would be disappointed in you. You, who never let anything hold you back, is afraid of opening yourself again to the outside world.'_ The words spoke to him. Though there was no actual speaker, Gao shook his head and glared at the item causing him so much discomfort. _'Wear it like you used to. Without it you are not complete.'_

"Its not that simple." Gao whispered. "If I put it on, then..." The sound of his mother's car pulling out from their driveway broke him from his thoughts. As soon as he heard the motor roar as it left the house, he leaned down and hurried out of the room, never knowing of the additional passenger he picked up along the way. "Where is it?" Gao, as soon as he entered the kitchen, saw the envelope with his name written on it. As he grabbed the money from the envelope and proceeded to throw the container away, he glanced over at his smiling brother. A surge of emotions began to fester inside him the longer he looked at his brother.

 _'Yota, what would you do?'_

* * *

CASTLE is the best place to get Buddyfight products in Cho-Tokyo. Anyone who went there can back this statement for various reasons. CASTLE happened to be the biggest provider for Buddyfight Trading Card Game products, from booster packs and boxes to Multi-Purpose Core Gadgets. The manager of the shop happened to be one of the friendliest people you could meet. He not only provides demo matches for new players, but always cuts deals on his products to players of the game. The shop also sold other games as well, such as board games and other Trading Card Games, making the store one of the busiest places to go to.

What made this shop the best place in Cho-Tokyo was the fighting stage it provided for people to test out their decks. The fighting stage was surrounded by a gigantic fish tank that circled the fighters. The stage itself, similar to Aibo Academy's stage, had a more rustic feel to it as it took the shape of a castle when in use. Like the fish who swim in a never ending circle around the fighters, fans of the game and people walking around the mall where CASTLE and the stage resided would watch the match in hordes.

This is where Gao found himself at the moment. He watched as two teenagers played using Ancient World against one another. Though both had passion for their worlds, they were not good at the game itself. Not only did they make plenty of rookie mistakes, but neither had any idea of what card to pick as a Buddy when they did not have an actual Buddy of their own. Baku, the master of deck building of his class, told him countless times about picking a Buddy that you would not hesitate to call on when drawing. A Buddy that helped you out through more than its attack and defense points.

He turned away from the match and went into CASTLE through a crowd of people who became pumped at the match that was currently going. They were probably going to some of the private tables CASTLE provided to tune up their decks or to find opponents in the shop. But not him. No, Gao went straight to the counter where an all too familiar face smiled at him.

"Hey Gao! How is my favorite customer doing?" The Castle Store Manager smiled at him with a wave of his left hand. Gao returned the favor, though he did not feel as happy to see the man. He faked a smile and raised his voice as loud as he could.

"I'm hoping to pull a Buddy Rare today is how I am doing!" Gao laughed alongside the manager for a moment. Though he laughed, Gao truly wanted a Buddy Rare to start moving on from the past. If he had a Buddy, then he would become a new person with a purpose to Buddyfight like he used to again. "So has anyone pulled one from your shop recently?" The manager shook his head and pointed to a section of the wall behind him.

Buddy Honor was something that made the shop more unique than others. Buddy Honor was a section of the wall that had pictures pinned to it that showed Buddyfighters with their Buddy. Only Buddy monsters that were pulled from the shop were allowed to be placed on that wall though. Anyone who had a Buddy monster had a picture that was kept in a folder for anyone to look at. It hurt Gao just to remember about that CASTLE feature, let alone to see all of those happy faces with their Buddy monster.

"No one has been able to pull a new Buddy, which is good news for you though. So what packs are you looking to buying today dude? We have not picked up a new shipment of cards yet, so who knows what is awaiting in my boosters for you!" A single glance at the booster boxes showed boxes that were missing half to most of their booster packs, which made him ponder if he could pull one today. He remembered the money that his mom gave him to do as he pleased, thinking if he should spend it all like he had done in the past or save some of his money for later. "Just for you Gao, consider what you have done for Cho-Tokyo, I'll even give you a discount."

"Oh man I can't pass that up!" Gao quickly pulled out the money he was given and slapped it on the counter. He kept his hand on the money in order to prevent someone from trying to quickly steal it from him. The manager grinned and waved his arms in a dramatic manner at his wide variety of booster boxes. From the very first of the series to the latest set, CASTLE had a large variety of packs to pick from. As Gao gazed upon the boxes an unusual itch began to form behind his eyes. It felt as if his eyes were going to water the longer he looked at these boxes. As he wiped his eyes he realized that the sensation disappeared when he did not look at the boxes, and quickly shot his head up to stare at the box that caused this sensation.

* * *

 _'What an interesting human.'_ The being, invisible to all but himself, stared into the soul of the human before him. Such radiant light shined through the human that felt like the fires that locked him away for so long. The sensation this boy released made him reminice of himself, but not for the radiant light that the boy produced. No, there was a natural darkness within the boy. Rage and hurt from betrayal that made the being curious about what could have happened to the human boy before him.

The soul could not hide any secrets from him. No matter how much the boy began to stare through him, his gaze was nothing in comparison to what his wicked sight could reveal. Life had lost all meaning to the boy without his previous companion monster. He did not know what a Buddy was, but a partner was not something that was foreign to a being like himself. So many memories began to flow into his eternal mind. Each one revealing more about this boy that he enjoyed. The blazing passion and fierce determination matched his own. All too familiar pain of loss and sacrifice replayed in his mind without fail.

He wanted the boy as his own, the being decided. They were perfect for one another. Both missing something that once made them whole. Perhaps, through each other, they could become whole as new beings. Yet something held him back from simply accepting the human as his partner. He was a being that did not want to waste time on someone that would run away from him as soon as he opened up to them.

 _'A test would serve nicely.'_ As he turned his sights to the booster packs behind him, he felt the presence within a booster pack, if that was the correct term he heard between these humans, call out for the boy. Looking through the plastic revealed the partner for his potential human, and he could only chuckle at what was seen. He would help the boy pick this booster pack. It was his after all, but his test would be in that booster pack.

Now all he could do was wait.

* * *

"C-Can I pick out my booster packs?" The sensation that he felt behind his eyes had moved throughout his body the longer he looked at the booster box. He felt as if he was on fire unlike any of the times that Drum had lit him aflame. Though he felt pain, he could not help but to be excited and grin at what was about to happen. The Store Manager grinned and slid the box he was staring at in front of him.

"I see how you are looking at this box Gao. So pick out your boosters dude!" Gao wasted no time brushing his fingers across the packs. Their slick, crisp packaging made him want to buy them all without a care in the world. The sensation intensified for a moment as he dove beneath the first two layers of the packs.

"Ow." As Gao pulled out the booster pack that was the source of the sensation, he nicked himself on the corner of the pack. A small, miniscule droplet of blood marked the pack as his. Though he did not understand why, the sight of that droplet made Gao happy beyond belief as he ripped open the pack.

"Gao," The manager shouted, "You need to pay for...that..." A bright, golden glow escaped through the crack of the pack, ripping its confines to nothingness. The glow suddenly turned red, scattering red flower petals throughout the store that made all but Gao turn away from the sight. Gao, for the single moment that he watched the card take form, suddenly found himself in a black, lifeless field. A red card that spun without fail appeared before him. As Gao reached for the card it stopped spinning, making him pause a second later.

 **"Find me and you will find the truth."** Gao looked for a moment for any indication of who was speaking to him, but saw nothing in the darkness. The red card shot into his hip, blinding him for a moment in a blaze of red and purple. When the light went away Gao found himself back at CASTLE with the golden glow changing into a humanoid glow. It seemed as if not a second had past in the real world, and watched in confusion and awe as the golden form changed into a fancy red and black dress he would see in one of his grandma's old tapes. The corset (was that the word his grandma called them?) was black with red waves of similar to a crest reaching for transparent black lace, which made up the chest and sleeves of the dress. The skin of his monster changed from gold to a ghastly pale, yet that did not compare to the monster's bright, glowing red eye that stared at him without fail. Her right eye was hidden behind her blonde hair, which flowed behind her and coiled around the lower portion of her dress.

"I have found my Buddy at last." The monster, who Gao could officially confirm was a female monster, landed on the ground with a smile upon her face. She pulled a red umbrella out from under her dress and opened it. It matched her dress as both had rose print on them, and part of the handle had black lace with a rose to match. What suited her most of all was the color due to it matching her brightly colored eye perfectly. With a twirl her umbrella pulled him close to her, and she closed the umbrella around them.

"Hey! What is the big idea huh?" A smirk appeared on the monster before him.

"You are cute." She giggled before licking her lips. The sight of that sent shivers up his spine, causing her to giggle once more. "You are going to be fun to tease I'm sure of it. My name is Marchioness, Elizabeth, and from this moment on." She grabbed his left hand and extended his index finger. The same finger that he cut himself with what seemed like hours ago, Gao told himself. She bent down and kissed the finger, making him wince as the small wound suddenly became stretched.

"OW!"

"Oh my~ You are most certainly delicious, my Buddy." With that she, and her umbrella, disappeared in a flash of red that went to his side. Gao looked to his hip and saw that, to his confusion, his Core Deck Case. He was sure that he left it in his room. So why was it with him? Suddenly Gao found himself surrounded by people and the manager waving a picture in front of him.

"I managed to catch the picture right before she closed her umbrella on you Gao. I gotta say, you are lucky to have something from one of the rare worlds!" The picture in question was of Gao looking at Marchioness, Elizabeth in awe as she looked down at him as she finished forming in the air. The manager, as he tried to hand Gao the picture, slipped on a pile of rose petals and dropped the picture.

"I got it!" When Gao bent down to pick up the picture he noticed two cards slide next to the picture. The first card was of his new Buddy, bringing him excitement like he never felt before. The second card, the moment his eyes caught sight of it, filled him with dread and confusion about what it could mean. Its very presence filled him with painful memories and anger he did not know he had in him. As he grabbed the picture and the cards, he found himself whispering the name of the card before him as if to confirm what he had in his hands.

"Dragon Ein."

-Author Note-

Hello readers, reviewers, and followers! Welcome to a project I will be putting more time into when I can do it. As a reference, I do not own Future Card Buddyfight or any other references that find their way into the story. I own some cards and volumes one through six of the current series, as well as volume one of the Dark Game Chronicles spin-off though. With that said, lets get on with the note.

So, after reading the manga I picked up a few days ago, I decided to do a marathon on the Buddyfight anime because the manga left off on a cliffhanger. As I finished season two I realized that I did not like how it ended. Drum's sudden departure and the way which Gao accepted it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Sure, it could have been that Bushiroad wanted Gao to stand apart from different TCG main characters who would be sad about their best friend/monster/partner leaving forever. Making yourself stand unique in a crowd will make you more memorable after all.

I decided to write this alternative universe story in mind that Gao does not obtain Bal from season 3 of the series (Triple D). In my opinion Gao seems to downgrade in his personality to match the manga humor. A choice that has its benefits and drawbacks for sure. This story has a depressed child who is upset about feeling the way he does, and limits himself on what he enjoys. Nothing is the same for him, and he is confused as to if it is himself or his lack of a Buddy that is doing this to him. Though he tries to hide it, other characters have noticed the change in him as well.

As much as I would like to reveal more about the content of this chapter, it would spoil parts of the plot if I do. Instead, I will ask did you readers expect for the world of the Buddy to be picked at all? How do you think Gao's friends and other family members have reacted to his depressed behavior versus how he will be from this point on? What do you think the appearance of Dragon Ein will mean for Gao?

I also want to mention something before I end this author note. I do plan on writing other Buddyfight content soon. I have plans for another Gao/Paruko story, potentially an update to my first Buddyfight story, as well as some other ideas I want to lay the foundation on. I plan on giving the Buddyfight category some decent love, and hope to inspire readers to add their own content to this section. In reference to my other stories, I plan on updating them soon.

So, until next time everyone, stay golden!

Kazikamikaze24


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